The great Sky God, Tengri was a dominating deity in the Universe and was believed to be a divine father and ruler. The Earth Goddess was considered to be both a mother and wife to Tengri. She appeared as a force of nature, and was subordinate only to Him. In ancient mythology there was a theory that mortals were the product of the union of Tengri and Earth. In the Orkhon Stone we read: “In the beginning there was a blue sky above, a dark land below, and human sons in-between." The Turks revered the Earth Goddess as a giver of crops and abundance. In the spring, before the beginning of the agricultural season and in the autumn, after the harvest, as a sign of gratitude for the abundance of food and happiness, the ancient Turks and Mongols made a sacrifice to the Earth Goddess. Milk, kumys and tea were offered and pleas made for a fertile land and a rich yield. Tengri(Heaven) rules over destiny of a man, people and states, distribute dates of life, protects from evil spirits and deaths, diseases, enemies, robbers; granted people and castle vital forces, peace and prosperity, military and hunting success.

To enhance your ability to summon Hecate, Queen of the Night, try this:

Dry dandelion roots, then slice and pierce them to create beads, forming a ritual necklace to wear when calling Hecate. Call - or think - Hecate's name as you pierce, string, and knot each bead. For best results, string the neclace at night by firelight.

Another way to enhance your relationship with the Queen of the Night is to practice the Silence of the Night Meditation. It's a very simple yet profoundly powerful meditation, especially when practiced for an extended period of time" Of "

"UNELANUHI" IS THE CHEROKEE SUN GODDESS; HER NAME MEANS APPORTIONER OF TIME, AND SHE WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR DIVIDING TIME INTO UNITS. IT IS HER ROUTINE PASSAGE THROUGH THE SKY THAT MARKS THE SEASONS AND DIVIDED NIGHT FROM DAY. SHE IS A HEALING GODDESS WHO AIDS THOSE WHO NEED ASSISTANCE.

ACCORDING TO AN OLD LEGEND, ORIGINALLY THE EARTH HAD NO SUN UNTIL "SPIDER WOMAN "WOVE A GREAT WEB AND PULLED "UNELANUHI" FROM DEEP WITHIN THE UNDERWORLD AND INTO THE SKY, AND ALTHOUGH SHE BELONGS TO NO ONE, SHE iS VISITED ONCE A MONTH BY A MYSTERIOUS LOVER WHO PLEASURES HER WITHOUT REVEALING HIS IDENTITY. WHEN SHE DISCOVERS IT IS HER BROTHER, HIS SHAME MAKES HIM KEEP AS MUCH DISTANCE AS POSSIBLE BETWEEN THEM, ALTHOUGH ONCE A MONTH, DURING THE "DARK MOON," HE CONTINUES TO VISIT HER BED.

THE SUN WAS THE PRIMARY OBJECT OF WORSHIP TO THE CHEROKEE, AND THEY WORSHIPPED HER BY BOWING TO HER AS SHE RISES IN THE SKY.

AGANIPPE (pronounce a-ga-NIP-pee) is one of the Greek Naiades. The Naiades were generally thought to be daughters of an Okeanid mother (the 3000 daughters of Tethys and Okeanos, Goddesses of fresh water sources) and a Potamoi father (the 3000 sons of Tethys and Okeanos, Gods of the rivers); in Aganippe's case, her father was Termessos, God of the River Termessos on Mount Helikon. Naiades were particularly responsible for water that came up from the earth, such as springs, fountains, and wells. Aganippe's spring was at the foot of Mount Helikon, and was supposed to inspire any who drank from it. It was said to have been formed by the hooves of Pegasus, the winged horse, and was held as sacred to the nine Muses. Aganippe's name means "gentle horse."

OLAPA is the Maasai Goddess of the new moon. She is married to Enkai, the God of the sun. One day, the two had a terrible fight and both were left with many scars on their faces. Enkai was so embarrassed that he began to shine as brightly as he could, so that no one could look upon his face and see his scars. Olapa, on the other hand, was not embarrased by her scars, so she did not increase the light that she gives. At the time of the new moon, people ask Olapa to grant them a long life and throw a stone in tribute to her. Pregnant women similarly ask her for an easy birth.

HAWAIIAN MYTHOLOGY ASSOCIATES FOUR GODDESSES WITH THE SNOW-COVERED MOUNTAINS OF MAUNA KEA, AND EACH OF THESE GODDESSES ARE BEAUTIFUL, WITTY, AND FULL OF WISDOM. THEY ARE THE DAUGHTERS OF HAUMEU, THE EARTH MOTHER, AND KANE, THE SKY GOD. THE FOUR SISTERS ARE BEAUTIFULLY ATTIRED. IN THE WINTER, THEY WEAR BRILLIANT WHITE WHICH IS LAID ASIDE AS THE WEATHER WARMS. IN THE SUMMER, THEY ARE ADORNED IN THE FINEST GOLDEN KAPA WHICH IS SAID TO BE MADE FROM THE RAYS OF THE SUN.

"POLIAHU" IS ONE OF THE GODDESS OF MAUNA KEA, OF SNOW, ICE, AND COLD. SHE IS THE ELDEST DAUGHTER OF HAUMEU AND KANE. SHE IS HIGHLY REVERED FOR WHEN THE SNOW MELTS, IT BRINGS LIFE-GIVING FRESH WATER TO THE ISLANDS. CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GODDESSES, MANY MEN HAVE PURSUED HER. SHE LOVED FREQUENTING THE CLIFFS WHICH OVERLOOKED THE HAMAKUA COAST AND SOMETIMES WOULD EVEN JOIN IN THE THE GAMES THE MORTALS WERE ENGAGING IN. SHE LOVED CAVORTING WITH HUMAN MEN. THE MOST IMPORTANT SURVIVING MYTH ABOUT POLIAHU INVOLVES HER GETTING THE BEST OF THE VOLCANO GODDESS, PELE. IT SEEMS THAT PELE, ANGRY THAT POLIAHU HAD BESTED HER IN ONE OF THE GAMES, ATTEMPTED TO RETALIATE BY SENDING STREAMS OF GLOWING LAVA DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE, BUT POLIAHU QUICKLY BLANKETED BY SENDING DOWN STORMS OF SNOW TO FREEZE THE MOLTEN ROCK IN PLACE.

"LILINOE "IS THE GODDESS OF THE MIST AND YOUNGER SISTER OF POLIAHU. SHE IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE "GODDESS OF HALEAKALA". SHE RULED OVER THE REALM OF DEAD FIRES AND DESOLATION. LILINOE HAS THE POWER TO HOLD IN CHECK ANY ERUPTIONS BY QUENCHING THE VOLCANO IN THICK LAYERS OF SNOW. SHE DRESSES POLIAHU'S HAIR SO THAT IT IS ALWAYS SOFT AND FINE. LEGEND SAYS THAT SHE WAS THE WIFE OF NANA-NU'U, THE MORTAL WHO SURVIVED THE GREAT FLOOD BY MAKING HIS HOME IN A CAVE HIGH ON THE SLOPES OF MAUNA KEA.

"WAIAU "(WATER OF SUFFICIENT DEPTH TO BATHE) IS THE GUARDIAN OF THE LAKE WHICH BEARS HER NAME, A BEAUTIFUL MOUNTAIN LAKE WHICH GLISTENS IN ONE OF THE CRATER CONES HIGH ATOP THE SUMMIT. THEY SAY THE LAKE IS BOTTOMLESS AND REACHES DEEP DOWN INTO THE HEART OF THE MOUNTAIN. IN THIS LAKE, WAIAU BATHES POLIAHU.

"KOHOUPOKANE "IS THE GODDESS OF HUALALAI. LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THIS SISTER, BUT IT IS SAID THAT SHE IS A MASTER KAPA MAKER.

WORKING WITH THESE GODDESSES SHOULD REMIND US THAT OUR OWN FIERY ERUPTIONS AND EMOTIONAL UPHEAVALS ARE FOLLOWED BY NEW BEGINNINGS AND CHANGE.

Jah is often used as a shortened form of the Tetragrammaton. The Tetragrammaton is often translated (especially in older English versions of the Bible) by use of the term "LORD", and the word "Hallelujah" by the phrase "Praise ye the LORD" (Psalm 104:35 KJV and footnote). Thus, partially translated and partially transliterated, the term could be rendered "Praise Jah."

In the original text of the Hebrew Bible, "Jah" occurs 50 times, 26 times alone and 24 times in the term "Hallelujah" (see footnote to Psalm 104:35). In the King James Version of the Bible it is transliterated as "JAH" i.e. all capital letters, in only a single instance: "Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him." (Psalm 68:4). "An American Translation" renders the Hebrew word as "Yah" in this verse. The complete Tetragrammaton is not always rendered as Jehovah. Rotherham's "Emphasised Bible"Masoretic Tanach: Psalms 68:19, - Yah Elohim.YHWH includes 49 uses of Jah.

In the West Indies, the recent popularity of reggae, and the Rastafari movement's referring to Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia as "Jah" or "God," has led to the use of the names "Jah" and "I and I" in Rastafari circles. This term is also used in hip-hop Pigeon John of LA Symphony in California, and Seph1 of Tempo Valley in Hawaii. Used also in popular Rastafari terms such as "Jah" among young Rastas. According to the band P.O.D., they use such terms to refer to elements of the Bible in songs such as "The Messenjah" from "Satellite", "Freedom Fighters" from "Payable on Death" and "Praise Jah ">demonstrating the evolution of reggae to hip-hop from the dance hall in Jamaica to rhyme, by such artists as

The Assemblies of Yahweh use the term Yah, which they believe sounds more accurate and would comply with the Name of YHWH. In the "Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition" Bible the Name YHWH and abbreviated form Yah is found. The "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures", a Bible translation used and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses, features the word "Jah" in all 26 places in the Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures, commonly known as the Old Testament, and translates the Hebrew 'Hallelujah' as 'Praise Jah, you people' in all 24 occurrences of that expression in the Hebrew Scriptures, and in all four occurrences of the corresponding Greek expression in the Book of Revelation 19:1, 3, 4 and 6 in their Christian Greek Scriptures

Due to the frequent use of the word, in some parts of the world, notably South Africa, a Rastafari is colloquially referred to as Jahman.

DOMNU is the Celtic Goddess of the Fomorii. She was to them what the Goddess Danu was to the Tuatha de Danaan, who followed the Fomorii in controlling the land that would become Ireland. The Fomorii were often called "children of Domnu," and were said to have come from the depths of the sea. Domnu's name means "the deep."

The Bakunawa, also known as Bakonawa, Baconaua, or Bakonaua, is a deity in Philippine mythology that is often represented as a gigantic sea serpent. It is believed to be the god of the underworld and is often considered to be the cause of eclipses. It appears as a giant sea serpent with a mouth the size of a lake, a red tongue, whiskers, gills, small wires at its sides, and two sets of wings, one is large and ash-gray while the other is small and is found further down its body.

Tales about the Bakunawa say that it is the cause of eclipses. During ancient times, Filipinos believe that there are seven moons created by Bathala to light up the sky. The Bakonawa, amazed by their beauty, would rise from the ocean and swallow the moons whole, angering Bathala and causing them to be mortal enemies.

To keep the Bakonawa moons from completely being swallowed, ancient Filipinos would go out of their homes with pans and pots, and would make noise in order to scare the Bakonawa into spitting out the moon back into the sky.

In Filipino folk literature, the Bakonawa is said to have a sister in the form of a sea turtle. The sea turtle would visit a certain island in the Philippines in order to lay its eggs. However, locals soon discovered that every time the sea turtle went to shore, the water seemed to follow her, thus reducing the island's size. Worried that their island would eventually disappear, the locals killed the sea turtle.

When the Bakunawa found out about this, it arose from the sea and ate the moon. The people were afraid so they prayed to Bathala to punish the creature. Bathala refused but instead told them to bang some pots and pans in order to disturb the serpent. The moon is then regurgitated while the Bakunawa disappeared, never to be seen again.

The island where the sea turtle lays its eggs is said to exist today. Some sources say that the island might just be one of the Turtle Islands.

Marduk was the Babylonian name of a late-generation god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of the city of Babylon, who, when Babylon became the political center of the Euphrates valley in the time of Hammurabi, started to slowly rise to the position of the head of the Babylonian pantheon, a position he fully acquired by the second half of the second millennium BCE. In the perfected system of astrology, the planet Jupiter was associated with Marduk by the Hammurabi period.

HINA-'ULU-'OHI'A is the Hawaiian Goddess of the 'ohi'a tree. On the island of Oahu, she is thought to be the wife of Ku-ka-'ohi'a-laka, God of canoe builders, but on Maui she is the wife of Kaha'i, God of lightning. In legends, Hina-'ulu-'ohi'a protects children and appears as a beautiful woman covered in the leaves and red flowers of the 'ohi'a tree. The tree is sacred to both Hina-'ulu-'ohi'a and Ku-ka-'ohi'a-laka, and special ceremonies must be performed before the flowers or leaves are gathered. Hina-'ulu-'ohi'a's name means "woman of the 'ohi'a tree," and she is also known as LA-EA (in her aspect as Goddess of canoe builders) and NAHINAHI-ANA (in an aspect in which she dyed and stamped kapa, or bark cloth).

MUT (pronounced MOOT) is the Egyptian Goddess of motherhood, worshipped at Thebes in Upper Egypt. To the Thebans, she displaced Amaunet as the wife of Amun, and is often depicted with Amun and his son, the moon God Khonsu. She was shown in human form with a vulture headdress, wearing a bright red or blue dress. Egyptian queens wore headdresses in the form of vultures in order to emulate the Goddess, who was seen as the mother of the king. Later, Mut became identified with Sekhmet and took on her form as a lioness. In this representation, Mut was the fiercely protective mother; traitors to the king were destroyed by fire in her honor. Mut's name, which means "mother," is also seen as MOUT or MAUT.

CELTIC GODDESSES

ANU

ANANN

DANA DANA-ANA:

Ireland. Goddess of plenty, another aspect of the Morrigu: Mother Earth; Great Goddess; greatest of all Goddesses. This flowering fertility Goddess, sometimes she formed a trinity with Badb and Macha. Her priestesses comforted and taught the dying. Fires were lit for her at Midsummer. Two hills in Kerry are called the Paps of Anu. Maiden aspect of the triple Goddess in Ireland. Guardian of cattle and health. Goddess of fertility, prosperity, comfort.

ARIANRHOD:

Wales: "Silver Wheel"; "High fruitful mother"; star Goddess; sky Goddess; Goddess of reincarnation; Full Moon Goddess. Her palace was called Caer Arianrhod (Aurora Borealis). Keeper of the circling Silver Wheel of Stars, a symbol of time and karma. This wheel was also known as the Oar Wheel, a ship which carried dead warriors to the Moon-land (Emania). Mother of Llue Llaw Gyffes and Dylan by her brother Gwydion. Her original consort was Nwtvre (Sky of Firmament). Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess in Wales. Honored at the Full Moon. Beauty, fertility, reincarnation. Call on Arianrhod to help you with past life memories and difficulties as well as for contacting the Star People.

BADB

BADHBH

BADB CATHA:

Ireland. "Boiling", "Battle Raven", "Scald-crow". the cauldron of ever- producinglife; Known in Gaul as Cauth Bodva. War Goddess and wife of net, a war God. Sister of Macha, the Morrigu and Anu. Mother Aspect in Ireland. Associated with the cauldron, crows and ravens. Life, wisdom, inspiration, enlightenment.

BANBA:

Ireland. Goddess; part of a tried with Fotia and Eriu. They used magick to repel invaders.

BLODEUWEDD

WLODWIN

BLANCHEFLOR:

Wales. "Flower Face", "White Flower". Lily maid of Celtic initiation ceremonies.AKA the Ninefold Goddess of the Western Isles of Paradise. Created by Math & Gwydion as a wife for Lleu. She was changed into an owl for her adultery and plotting Lleu's death. The Maiden aspect; her symbol was the owl; Goddess of the Earth in bloom. Flowers, wisdom, lunar mysteries, initiations.

BOANN

BOANNAN

BOYNE:

Ireland. Goddess of the river Boyne, mother of Angus Mac Og by the Dagda. Once there was a well chaped by nine magick hazel trees. These trees bore crimson nuts which gave knowledge of everything in the world. Divine salmon lived in the well and ate the nuts. No one, not even the high gods, were allowed to go near the well. But Boann went anyway. The well water rose to drive her away, but they never returned to the well. Instead they became the River Boyne and the salmon became the inhabitants of the river. Other Celtic river Giddess: Siannan (Shannon), Sabrina (Severn, Sequana Seine), Deva (Dee), Clota (Clyde), Verbeia (Wharfe), Brigantia (Braint, Brent). Healing.

BRANWEN:

Manx. Wales. Sister of Bran the Blessed and wife of the Irish King Matholwchh. Venus of the Northern Seas; daughter of Llyr (Lir); one of the three matriarca of Britain; Lady of the Lake (cauldron) Goddess of love and beauty.

BRIGIT

BRID

BRIGID BRIGHID:

Ireland, Wales, Spain, France. "Power"; "Reown"; "Feiry Arrow of Power" (Breo- saighead). Daughter of the Dagda; called the poeess. Often called the Triple Brighids. Threee Blessed Ladies of Britain, the Three Mothers. Another aspect of Danu: Associated with Imbolc. She had an exclusive female priesthood at Kildare and an ever-burning sacred fire. The number of her priestesses was 19 representing the 19-year cycle of the Celtic "Great Year". Her kelles were sacred prostitutes and her soldiers brigands. Goddess of fire, fertility, the hearth and all feminine arts and crafts, and martial arts. Healing, physicians, agriculture, inspiration, learning, poetry, divination, prophecy, smithcraft, animal husbandry, love, witchcraft, occult knowledge. Plants: Blackberry Animals: Oxen and Ram.

CAILLECH:

Great Goddess in her Destroyer aspect; called the Veiled One. Disease, plague, cursing. Wheat.

CERRIDWEN

CARIDWEN

CERIDWEN:

Wales. Moon Goddess; Great Mother; grain Goddess; Goddess of Nature. the white corpse-eating sow representing the Moon. Welsh bards called themselves Cerddorion (sons of Cerridwen). The bard Taliesin, founder of their craft, was said to be born of Cerridwen and to have tasted a potent from her magick cauldron of inspiration. Wife of the giant Tegid and mother of a beautiful girl Creirwy and an ugly boy Avagdu. In her magickal cauldron, she made a potion called greal (from which the word Grail probably came). The potion was made from six plants for inspiration and knowledge. Her symbol was a white sow. Death, fertility, regeneration, inspiration, magick, astrology, herbs, science, poetry, spells, knowledge. Plants: Vervain, Acorns.

CREIDDYLAD

CREUDYLAD

CORDELIA:

Wales. Daughter of the sea God Llyr. Connected with Beltane and often called the May Queen. Goddess of summer flower, love and flowers.

THE CRONE:

One aspect of the Triple Goddess. She represents old age or death, winter, the end of all things, the waning Moon, post-menstrual phases of women's lives, all destruction that precedes regeneration through her cauldron of rebirth. Crows and other black creatures are sacred to her. Dogs often accompanied her and guarded the gates of her after-world, helping her to receive the dead. In Celtic myth, the gatekeeper-dog was named Dormarth (Death's Door). The Irish Celts maintained that true curses could be cast with the dog's help. Therefore, they use the word cainte (dog) for a satiric Bard with the magick power to speak curses that came true.

DANU

DANANN

DANA:

Ireland. Probably the same as Anu. Major Mother Goddess; ancestress of the Tuatha De Danann; Mother of the gods; Great Mother; Moon Goddess. She gave her name to the Tuatha De Danann (People of the Goddess Danu). Another aspect of the Morrigu. Patroness of wizards, rivers, water, wells, prosperity & plenty, magick, wisdom.

DON

DOMNU

DONN:

Ireland, Wales. "Deep sea"; "Abyss". Queen of the Heavens; Goddess of sea and air. Sometimes called a Goddess, sometimes a God. The equivalent of the Irish Danu. In Ireland, Don ruled over the Land of the Dead. Entrances to this Otherworld were always in a sidhe (shee) or burial mound. Control of the elements, eloquence.

EPONA:

ERIU ERIN:

Ireland. One of the three queens of the Tuatha Da Danann and a daughter of the Dagda.

FLIDAIS:

Ireland. Goddess of forests, woodlands & wild things; ruler of wild beasts. She rode in a chariot drawn by a deer. Shape-shifter.

GREAT MOTHER:

The Lady; female principle of creation. Goddess of fertility, the Moon, summer, flowers, love, healing, the seas, water. The "mother" finger was considered the index finger, the most magickal which guided, beckoned, blessed & cursed.

MACHA:

Ireland. "Crow"; "Battle"; "Great Queen of Phantoms"; Mother of Life and death; a war Goddess; Mother Death; originally a Mother Goddess; one of the aspects of the triple Morrigu. Also called Mania, Mana, Mene, Minne. Associated with ravens and crows. She was honored Lugnassadh. After a battle, the Irish would cut off the heads of the losers and called them Macha's acorn crop. Protectress in war as in peace; Cunning, sheer physical force, sexuality, fertility, dominance over males.

MARGAWSE:

Wales, Britain. Mother aspect of the Goddess.

THE MORRIGU

MORRIGAN

MORGIAN MORGAN:

Ireland, Britian, Wales. Great Queen, Supreme War Goddess, Queen of Phantoms or Demons, Specter Queen. Shape-shifter. Reigned over the battlefields, helping with her magick but did not join in the battles. Associated with crows & ravens. The Crone aspect of the Goddess; Great White Goddess; Great Mother; Moon Goddess; Queen of the fairies. In her dark aspect (the symbol is then the raven or crow) she is the Goddess of war, fate death; she went fully armed & carried two spears. The carrion crow is her favorite disguise. Goddess of rivers, lakes & fresh water. Patroness of priestesses & witches. Revenge, night, magick, prophecy.

MUSES:

Greek, Goddesses of inspiration who vary in number depending upon the pantheon used.

NIAMH:

Ireland. "Beauty"; "Brightness". A form of Badb who helps heroes at death.

NORNS:

Celtic; the three sisters of the Wyrd. Responsible for weaving fate - past, present and future.

RHIANNON:

Wales; "The Great Queen" Goddess of birds and horses. Enchantments, fertility, and the Underworld. She rides a swift white horse.

SCATHACH

SCOTA

SCATHA SCATH:

Ireland, Scotland. "Shadow, shade"; "The Shadowy One She who strikes fear" Underworld Goddess of the Land of Scath. Dark Goddess; Goddess in the destroyer aspect. Also a warrior woman and prophetess who lived in Albion (Scotland) probably on the Isle of Skye and taught the martial arts. Patroness of blacksmiths, healing, magick, prophecy, martial arts.

WHITE LADY:

Known in all Celtic countries. Dryad of death; identified with Macha; Queen of the Dead; the Crone form of the Goddess. Death, Destruction, annihilation.

SATENE is the Seram Goddess of the Underworld. The Seram people of Indonesia say that she was born from an unripe banana. When another Goddess, Hainuwele, was killed as a witch, the man who found her body, Ameta, took her arms to Satene. She created a spiral gate on the dancing ground where Hainuwele had been killed and stood in the center of it. Satene told the people that she was leaving the world and they would have to pass through the gate to see her again. The gate became the doorway to the Underworld, and those who were able to pass through when they died were reborn as people. Those who were unable to pass through were instead reincarnated as animals or remained on earth as spirits. When people did pass through, Satene would hit them with Hainuwele's arms, and those who passed to her left formed one tribe, and those who passed to her right formed another. Satene's name, which means "judgment," is also seen as MULUA SATENE.

SAGA is the Norse Goddess of poetry and history. She is one of Frigg's handmaidens, and possibly a daughter of Odin. She lives in a hall called Sokkvabekk, which means "sunken benches," next to a flowing stream. She drinks daily with Odin from golden goblets. Saga's name means "seeress," and has come to mean any great telling of history.

KAMALA is the Hindu Goddess of consciousness and creation. She is one of the Mahavidyas, the wisdom Goddesses. Kamala is depicted as a beautiful woman with golden skin, seated or standing on a lotus. She holds two more lotuses, symbols of both fertility and purity. She is accompanied by elephants, who pour jars of nectar on to her, also symbolizing fertility. Kamala is the Mahavidya form of Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth and beauty. As a Mahavidya, she represents the unfolding of inner consciousness into the fullness of creation. Her greatest power is the removal of poverty, both material and spiritual. Kamala's name, which means "she of the lotus," is also seen as KAMALATMIKA, and her other names and epithets include:

TONACACIHUATL (pronounced toe-na-ka-SEE-wah-tl) is the Aztec Goddess of creation. She is the wife of Tonacatecuhtli, the creator God. Tonacacihuatl and Tonacatecuhtli first created Omecihuatl, also a Goddess of creation, and her brother/husband Ometecuhtli, who then created everything else. Tonacacihuatl's name means "lady of flesh" or "lady of substance."

UNK is the Lakota Goddess of passion and water. She was created by Maka, Goddess of the Earth, to be her companion. Maka was a very petty Goddess and she imparted this nature to Unk. She also made her very beautiful, so beautiful in fact that she became jealous of Unk. They quarreled and Maka finally cast Unk into the waters. Unk complained to Skan, the creator God, and he gave her dominion over the waters. She schemed against Maka and gave birth to two sons, Iya (Evil-one) and Gnas (Demon). Through their manipulations and trickery, Unk eventually came to have everything in her domain that Maka had in hers--animals, plants, birds, and reptiles.

LILITH IS A POWERFUL GODDESS WHO HAS BORNE THE BRUNT OF PATRIARCHY AND STILL MANAGES TO SURVIVE. I LOVE WORKING WITH THIS GODDESS WHO CAN HELP US TO MOVE THROUGH OUR SHADOW WORK. LILITH FIRST APPEARED IN SUMERIAN MYTHOLOGY ABOUT 5,000 YEARS AGO. IT APPEARS THAT SHE IS LINKED TO THE SUMERIAN GODDESS, LILITU, WHOSE NAME MEANS 'WIND SPIRIT'. WE ARE FIRST INTRODUCED TO LILITH WHEN SHE MENTIONED IN A POEM ABOUT INANNA AFTER THE HERO, GILGAMESH, HAS CUT DOWN INANNA'S TREE:

GILGAMESH STRUCK THE SERPENT WHO COULD NOT BE CHARMED. THE ANZU-BIRD FLEW WITH HIS YOUNG TO THE MOUNTAINS. AND LILITH SMASHED HER HOME AND FLED TO THE WILD UNINHABITED PLACES."

SHE WAS THE GODDESS OF AGRICULTURE, AS WELL AS THE HANDMAIDEN TO INANNA. AS A YOUNG HANDMAIDEN TO THE GODDESS, INANNA, IT WAS LILITH'S JOB TO GATHER MEN FROM THE FIELDS AND LEAD THEM TO THE TEMPLES OF THE SACRED PROSTITUTES FOR THE HOLY RITES AND SEXUAL CUSTOMS OF THE TIME. IT IS ALSO SAID THAT LILITH HELPED WOMEN IN CHILDBIRTH AND NURSED THEIR INFANTS. HER SYMBOLS ARE THE CROSSROADS, OWLS, SERPENTS, AND THE DARK MOON.

WHEN JEWISH PATRIARCHY TOOK OVER SUMERIA, THEY DESTROYED THE ANCIENT SPIRITUAL TRADITIONS AND PRACTICES OF THE REGION, AND LILITH WAS MADE EVIL IN ORDER TO STOP THE PEOPLE FROM WORSHIPPING HER.

THE GODDESS WHO HAD ONCE PROTECTED MOTHER'S AND CHILDREN WAS NOW BEING PORTRAYED AS A DEMONESS WHO CAUSED ABORTIONS AND MURDERED INFANTS IN THEIR SLEEP.

IN HEBREW TESTS, LILITH IS MOST POPULARLY KNOWN AS THE FIRST WIFE OF ADAM; SHE LEFT HIM WHEN HE TOLD HER TO LIE BELOW HIM WHEN THEY MADE LOVE. LILITH REFUSED AND POINTED OUT THAT THEY HAD BEEN CREATED EQUAL--SHE WAS FORMED FROM THE SAME DUST OF EARTH AS ADAM. LILITH THEN WENT TO JEHOVAH, TRICKED HIM INTO SAYING HIS SECRET NAME, AND WITH HER NEWLY FOUND POWER, PERSUADED HIM TO GIVE HER WINGS. SHE THEN FLEW AWAY TO LIVE IN A CAVE BY THE SEA. A COMPLETE DEMONIZATION OF LILITH THEN TOOK PLACE AS SHE WAS INCORPORATED INTO THE JUDAIC PANTHEON. LILITH BECAME THE ESSENCE OF DEPRAVED SEXUALITY. SHE WAS BELIEVED TO STEAL THE SEMEN OF MEN WHILE THEY WERE SLEEPING, WHICH SHE THEN USED TO FERTILIZE HERSELF, PRODUCING DEMONS. MANY SCHOLARS ALSO BELIEVE THAT THE SERPENT WHICH WAS DEPICTED IN THE STORY OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN WAS ACTUALLY LILITH...WHO HAD RETURNED TO AWAKEN EVE TO HER INNER POWER.

Lilith is the dark feminine aspect of the Divine creation and the Goddess of the balancing of yin and yang. By rejecting the fetters of masculine domination of the spiritual realm and leaving the Garden of Eden for the wilderness beyond, She actually became the first child of Mother Nature and in Her Divine mutiny, the first witch. Lilith offers us a vision of freedom and independence. We all know women who have been demonized because they are independent and refuse to be someone's subordinate. Let us remember the oppression of women, past and present, and lend our support. Let us remind our friends about such women and light a candle in the honor.

Ruler of the underworld and feared by many, this Goddess is the Crone of many a trinity. Although not evil she has a fierce temper and will happily mow down those who oppose her holy will. The owl is her symbol, and thus feared by many as a sign of eminent death. Hecate can and will help modern witches. Needless to say she adores croning rituals. Hecate, Greek goddess of the three paths, guardian of the household, protector of everything newly born, and the goddess of witchcraft -- once a widely revered and influential goddess, the reputation of Hecate has been tarnished over the centuries. In current times, she is usually depicted as a "hag" or old witch stirring the cauldron.

Hekate is a guardian, standing at the crossroads and doorways to keep away evil spirits. She is the dispenser of judgment and a Goddess of atonement and purification. We can relate to her today as a guardian figure in our unconsciousness, holding the key to the shadow within us and bearing torches to light our way to our inner self.

A lover of solitude, the Greek goddess Hecate was, like her cousin Artemis, a "virgin" goddess, unwilling to sacrifice her independent nature for the sake of marriage. Walking the roads at night or visiting cemeteries during the dark phase of the moon, the goddess Hecate was described as shining or luminous. In other legends she is invisible, perhaps only glimpsed as a light, a "will-o-the-wisp". Perhaps it was this luminous quality that marked Hecate as a "moon goddess", for she seemed quite at home on the earth. Some scholars believe it is also was because her mother was Asteria (the Titan goddess of the Shining Light or "Star") or perhaps it was because she sensibly always carried a torch on her journeys.

Hecate's ability to see into the Underworld, the "otherworld" of the sleeping and the dead, made her comfortable and tolerant in the company of those most would shun out of fear or misunderstanding. In her role as 'Queen of the Night', sometimes traveling with a following of "ghosts" and other social outcasts, she was both honored and feared as the protectress of the oppressed and of those who lived "on the edge". In Rome many of the priests in her sacred groves were former slaves who had been released to work in her service. The goddess Hecate was often accompanied on her travels by an owl, a symbol of wisdom. Not really known as a goddess of wisdom, per se, Hecate is nevertheless recognized for a special type of knowledge and is considered to be the goddess of trivia. Hecate's farsightedness and attention to detail, combined with her extraordinary interest in that which most of us discount as irrelevant or arcane, gave her tremendous powers. She knew what the rest of us did not.

When one learns from Hekate, one must be willing to sacrifice oneself on the inner altar to gain her goodwill. This is a spiritual sacrifice, a willingness to give up negative habits and friends, taking time for meditation and ritual, being kind and understanding to others and opening oneself to new ways of spiritual thought and understanding. Through Hekate's cauldron, we must look at our true self, the nature of our motives and the results of our actions; because only when we look into Her dark cauldron can we see the light. Hekate is about transitions; She is the guardian of doorways, She watches over birth and death and She guides the initiate who dares to pass between the worlds. Hekate guides us across the borders and because the crossing is fearful, She is often feared by association. If we honor Hekate, She will serve as a guide in the most difficult and traumatic changes we can know at birth, initiation and death.

Hekate is awesome and terrifying for us because She represents things that we fear or keep hidden. Her main area of work was as goddess of the underworld, of night and darkness. Before Christianity, however, the underworld was not the place it is considered today. Then, it was the resting place of the dead. Many fear death and associate Her with only death but there is so much more to this Triple Aspect Goddess.

Hekate has also been looked on as a Goddess of fertility, whose torch was carried over freshly sown fields to symbolize the fertilizing power of moonlight. Torches are a common attribute of birth goddesses, possibly through the association of fire with purification, as are dogs, probably because of the ease in which they give birth. The knife that She often carries cuts the umbilical cord that begins our lives, as well as severing the ethereal link between the body and spirit at death.

The Hecate reminds us of the importance of change, helping us to release the past, especially those things that are hindering our growth, and to accept change and transitions. She sometimes asks us to let go of what is familiar, safe, and secure and to travel to the scary places of the soul. New beginnings, whether spiritual or mundane, aren't always easy. But Hecate is there to support and show you the way. She loans her farsightedness for you to see what lies deeply forgotten or even hidden, and helps you make a choice and find your path. Oft times she shines her torch to guide you while you are in dreams or meditation. Hecate teaches us to be just and to be tolerant of those who are different or less fortunate, yet she is hardly a "bleeding heart", for Hecate dispenses justice "blindly" and equally.

She has long been a Goddess of Witchcraft and has been invoked to make spells more powerful. Hekate is known for her gifts of prophecy, her clear vision and her knowledge of the magical and occult arts. She can cut through the darkness and call back the past and reveal the future. She gives humans dreams and visions which, if interpreted wisely, lead to greater clarity. She is particularly skilled at and associated with scrying and looking into the darkness for answers. Because She stands at the crossroads, She can look into the past, present and future. Her worshippers invoked Her in ritual, which always took place in the darkest hours of night and placed food for Her as an offering. This was known as Hekate's Supper.

CHARGE OF THE DARK GODDESS, HEKATE

I am the Queen of Magick, hidden in the deepest night.
I am the mystery of the other world and the fear that coils
about your heart in the times of your trial. I am the soul of
nature that gives form to the Universe.
My torches light the way for enlightenment and illumination.
My sickle of death cuts away things
that are dead & no longer needed
It is I who awaits you at the end of your spiral dance.
I am She who has no secrets but a thousand secrets.
I am the aged Old Crone of Darkness whose face of death
portends life anew and filled with Luna's secrets.
All acts of magick and mysteries are my rituals and
My greatest ritual is love itself.

ZEMYNA (pronounced zuh-MEE-nah) is the Lithuanian Goddess of the earth, also known as ZEMES MATE in Latvia. She is the archetypical Mother Nature, and brings life to all things. Honored at every birth and every festival, offerings of bread, beer, and herbs were laid on the ground, tied to trees, or thrown into moving water to thank her. Zemyna is the daughter of Saule, Goddess of the Sun, and her husband Meness or Menulis, God of the Moon. Her name means "earth" or "mother of the soil," and she is also associated with the underworld, in so far as the dead were returned to her arms in the earth. Baltic poems gave her the epithets "BLOOMER" and "SHE WHO RAISES FLOWERS."

PRAJNAPARAMITA is the Buddhist Goddess of transcendental wisdom. She is the feminine "perfection of wisdom", the Mother of All Buddhas. Her face is serene, having attained the freedom of enlightenment. She is usually depicted with many arms, and the items they hold are symbolic of her role as teacher: meditation beads (the eternal cycle of time), a rope (to retrieve those who have strayed from the path), fruit (prosperity), a lotus (purity), a vase (abundance), and, most importantly, a book (wisdom). Hands that are not holding objects are in the mudra, or hand gesture, for teaching. The Prajnaparamita Sutras are a collection of sacred writings that reveal the path to wisdom, and they are taken to be the teachings of the Goddess. There is some question as to whether the book or the Goddess came first.

AME-NO-UZUME is the Japanese Goddess of merrymaking and dance. She is the one who lured the sun Goddess Amaterasu to come out of her self-imposed exile in a cave, returning sunlight to the world. She overturned a washtub and began to dance on it, to the delight of the surrounding Gods and Goddesses. Their laughter at her antics made Amaterasu curious enough to step out of her cave. Ame-no-Uzume's dances have been carried down to modern times as the "kagura".

Ame-no-Uzume also accompanied Amaterasu's grandson Ninigi to earth, where he was to become the first emperor of Japan. When he was about to descend, a large monster appeared in his path, so Ninigi sent the fearless Ame-no-Uzume ahead to investigate. She approached the monster with bare breasts and a mocking laugh, asking who he was to stand in Ninigi's way. He turned out to be Saruta-Hiko, God of the crossroads, and he was only there to welcome Ninigi. Ame-no-Uzume eventually married Saruta-Hiko.

Ame-no-Uzume's name means "whirling heavenly woman" and is also seen as UZUME, AME-NO-UZUME-NO-MIKOTO, and AME-NO-UZUME-NO-KAMI. Epithets for her include THE GREAT PERSUADER, TERRIBLE FEMALE OF HEAVEN, DAUGHTER OF HEAVEN, HEAVEN'S FORTHRIGHT FEMALE, and THE HEAVENLY ALARMING FEMALE.